Bosa Sets The Trap Then Finishes His Work

By Will Cinelli, The Scouting Academy

Most Thursdays here on the FirstDown PlayBook Coaches Community website we will feature a breakdown of personnel and technique. This is provided by our friends over at The Scouting Academy who are our go to experts in this field!

One of the best things a pass rusher can do to an offensive lineman is to get him guessing. By having a plan and mixing up his moves, the DL can get the OL off-balance and confused.

This is a great example from a different angle than we’re used to seeing where Joey Bosa executes a plan to perfection and gets the sack. Watch as he gives the quick head/shoulder fake to the inside. The tackle stops his feet and starts to fire his hands, thinking he needs to quickly stop the inside penetration.

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However, Bosa has set the trap perfectly, using a “side-scissors” move to soften the edge and begin to gain the corner. He hasn’t won the battle yet, though, so Bosa hits him with the same move again. As the superior athlete, Bosa gets the tackle off balance with his final move, and now has a clear path to the QB.

We’ve highlighted this before in this space, but a pass rusher with a plan is tough to stop. Bosa combines superb athletic ability with that plan to be one of the top pass rushers in the game today.